Alanna & Hayden's Westwood Hills Nature Center Wedding

Alanna wore a fitted white gown with a square neckline and a long train, pale blue pointed heels and a bouquet of pink ranunculus, orange blooms, white dahlias, green hydrangea and daisies. Hayden wore a black suit with a navy floral tie, a white pocket square and glasses. The bridesmaids wore different shades of blue in satin, velvet and floral fabrics, and the groomsmen wore black suits with white pocket squares. The flat lay shows a scalloped save-the-date and an invitation on a pink and orange striped backdrop, the rings on a white dish, gold star earrings and matchbooks.

The first look happens beside a gray-green siding wall: Alanna glances back over her shoulder at Hayden, who faces away from her, and he reaches toward her back. The bridesmaids fuss over her train and laugh together with their bouquets against the same wall, and the groomsmen line up in black suits beside a bridesmaid in a black dress.

The ceremony takes place in a room with tall windows and green trees outside, on a black and white checkered floor. Hayden smiles at Alanna at the start, tears up while she reads from a small card, and the two kiss in front of the windows as the wedding party applauds and Hayden pumps his fist.

Their small tan dog is part of the day: in a white bandana on a black leather sofa between them, on a gray ottoman looking into the camera, kissing Alanna's face and lying on a rumpled bed in soft window light. Outside, the wedding party cheers in front of the low nature center building, Hayden dips Alanna for a kiss on the pavement and the two pose in the evening light. The reception has a charcuterie board, a small white cake with Just Married piped on it, toasts with a guest holding a microphone, a first dance and a dance floor.

These are the places you can see in the 57 photographs.

• A gray-green siding wall and a concrete walkway under an overhang: the first look, bridesmaids and groomsmen.
• A paved lot in front of the low building with an overhanging wood roof and tall grasses: the wedding party, the dips and the couple portraits.
• A gravel path beside a long glass-walled building with tall grasses: Alanna's portrait alone.
• A room with tall windows and a black and white checkered floor: the ceremony.
• A reception room with a wood-patterned floor and ceiling lights: the cake, toasts, first dance and dancing.

No. Westwood Hills Nature Center is at 8300 W. Franklin Ave., St. Louis Park, MN 55426. St. Louis Park is a suburb that borders Minneapolis on its west side, and the center is about 6 miles west of downtown Minneapolis in a straight line, measured from its map coordinates. That puts it inside the 40 miles of travel included from downtown Minneapolis.

The City of St. Louis Park describes Westwood Hills Nature Center as a 160-acre natural area with marsh, woods and restored prairie. Trails are open every day from sunrise to sunset, and admission and parking are free. The interpretive center is the building you can rent. The city's rental page states:

• The multipurpose room can be split into the Aspen, Oak and Willow rooms or used as one large room. Aspen and Oak each seat up to 72 and Willow up to 30. The Oak Patio, behind the building, holds up to 30 in theater-style seating.
• Wedding receptions are among the permitted uses. The page says ceremonies are the responsibility of you or your event coordinator and does not describe outdoor ceremonies.
• Alcohol is allowed only after public building hours (weekdays after 4:30 p.m., weekends after 5 p.m.), only in certain spaces, and the alcohol vendor must supply a Minnesota alcohol caterer's permit and liquor liability insurance at least a month ahead.
• Open flames, including candles and sparklers, are not allowed, and confetti, glitter, party poppers, uncooked rice, birdseed and fog machines are not permitted anywhere on the property. Balloons must go home with you or be popped and thrown away.
• The center does not provide linens, and decorations cannot be attached to walls, doors, windows or ceilings except with blue painter's tape for lightweight items.

Eight hours is the length of our Pearl collection, which is $4,200 and includes two photographers. In this wedding the 8 hours reach from the stationery and the first look through the ceremony and the wedding party portraits to the cake, toasts and dancing. A venue with an indoor room and grounds next to it lets the day move between the two without a long drive.

The city's rental page keeps rooms, rental hours and rates in tabs, lists 952-928-1415 for questions and requires a rental application to book. Our wedding collections run from 4 to 12 hours, starting at $3,100 for the 4-hour Emerald collection. Travel is included within 40 miles of downtown Minneapolis, which covers St. Louis Park. Send your date and venue through the contact page and we will talk through what fits.